“Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” – Luke 10:36-37
This past Sunday, we continued to look at the poem by Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb. In the poem there was a powerful line that read, “If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy.” When I read that line, I reflected on the concept of mercy. Mercy is choosing compassion and forgiveness over punishment. Mercy is mentioned over 250 times in the Bible. Mercy is our story. It is God who extends mercy to us, over and over. We do not deserve God’s love, but God continues to offer it freely.
Perhaps the greatest teaching in the Bible about mercy is that of The Good Samaritan. It is one of the more famous of Jesus’ parables. This story is told in response to a teacher of the law who asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus immediately responds with a question of his own. Jesus asks him, “What does the law say?’ The lawyer proves to be a good student of the law. He answers Jesus with the correct response:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
The teacher of the law knew the right answers to the first question, but he was not satisfied with just one question. He followed up with a second question, “Who is my neighbor?” This question seems to really capture Jesus full attention. He does not answer with a question, like he so often does. Instead, he answers with a story about a Jewish man who was attacked on the road to Jericho. If it were not for the kindness of a Samaritan man who was passing by, the Jewish traveler would have possibly perished on the road that day.
Jesus knew that the young lawyer understood the letter of the law, but he wanted to expand his vision of heaven on earth. Mercy, kindness, and love are the foundations of God’s kingdom. When we choose mercy, we help to change the lives of the people around us. We choose to extend the possibility of something new and release others from the bondage of the past. Mercy is the heart of God. We are called to be a people of mercy. We are called to share God’s love and bring hope to our world. Like the Good Samaritan, let us “Go and do likewise.”
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
